I came into FYRE nervous about finding my community as a FGLI student. I ended up leaving with a new family.

When I committed to Harvard, I was super excited, but I also had one question on my mind: where would I find my community? As a first-generation, low-income (FGLI) student, I wasn’t sure how big the FGLI community at Harvard was, or what resources existed to support students like me. I didn’t know many FGLI people from my area who had gone to Harvard, so I didn’t have a clear picture of what to expect. Like a lot of new students, I also felt imposter syndrome when I got in and wondered how I would fit in. I knew I wanted to be here. I was just curious to find out where I belonged.

Then, one day, while looking through the website for incoming first-year students, there was a deadline for applying to pre-orientation programs, and that’s when I discovered the First-Year Retreat Experience (FYRE) Pre-Orientation Program. FYRE is a pre-orientation program that brings first-years together, with upperclass students serving as Team Leaders (TLs), over our shared FGLI identities. FYRE was exactly the community and support I’d been looking for!

I’ll be honest, though: I was also quite nervous. Leaving home a week earlier and having to say goodbye to my friends and family sooner than I’d planned was daunting, and so I hesitated. I ended up submitting my application at the very last minute, on a car ride just before a camping trip with no WiFi, and I am so glad I did.

Move-in day for FYRE looked a little different from the move-in chaos I’d imagined. It was a smaller, much smoother experience. Team Leaders (the upperclass students who lead FYRE) greeted us at the check-in table in Harvard Yard, and we picked up our name tags, FYRE merch, and the schedule for the week. It turned out my suitemate was also a FYREFly (which is what we call the first-years in FYRE), and getting to know her before the rest of our class arrived made the transition feel a lot less intimidating.

FYRE also struck a great balance between social and educational events. One day we were learning about resources through the Financial Aid Office at Harvard and attending the Financial Finesse panel, led by Team Leaders, which covered things like studying abroad, finding campus jobs, and managing money. The next, we were out exploring Boston (which was especially exciting for me since this was my first time here after Visitas!) or winding down over cookies and hot chocolate.

My favorite event was “Harvard, I Messed Up," FYRE’s flagship comedy show. Team Leaders take the stage to tell stories about times they messed up in college, and what they learned from it. It was hilarious, and it was also reassuring. Seeing people who seemed so accomplished laugh about their own stumbles made me realize that everyone, even the people who look like they have it all figured out, is just human.

My highlight of the entire week was getting to meet my FYRE family. At the Opening Ceremony, FYREFlies are sorted into small groups, each led by a pair of Team Leaders, who become your FYRE “parents.” Throughout the week, you spend a lot of time together: eating meals, exploring campus, and having the kind of small-group discussions that are hard to have in a room of a hundred people.

The best part about FYRE is that it didn’t end when the week did. I still see my FYRE family constantly. We’re in many of the same clubs, a few of us work together at the Harvard Foundation, and we still make time for our own outings, like grabbing udon or dessert. FYRE also hosts program-wide reunions throughout the year, and I’m looking forward to them as another way to keep those connections going.

FYRE was a great introduction to Harvard. It answered the question I’d arrived with: yes, there is a community here for me, and it’s even better than I had hoped. I can’t wait to see how much fun next year’s FYREFlies have!